“You look like hell. Did you sleep at all on the flight?”

“I tried.”

“Go. Take a hot shower and get in bed. I’ll crank up the heat and when you get out of the shower, there’ll be some tea waiting. You’ll sleep, and then we’ll figure out what you need to do next. He’s going to be sorry soon enough and call for you.”

“I don’t want to talk to him. I don’t know if I ever will.”

Tuesday started to say something but closed her mouth, pointing at the stairs. “Go.”

* * *

THE POUNDING ON his door woke Paddy up from where he’d passed out on the couch sometime after sunup. He glanced at his phone and noted it was already nearly three.

Which meant he was about to miss sound check.

“Coming!”

He braced himself to see Renn’s face, about to make an apology and run to the shower, but it was a very-angry, very-pregnant sister-in-law with an equally angry Damien right behind her.

“What did you do, Paddy?” She pushed him back.

“I’m sorry! I overslept. I’m going to jump in the shower now. It’ll take me five minutes.” It wasn’t as if he’d never shown up hungover and still drunk from the night before.

He started into the bedroom and that’s when Nat’s scent hit him, and he remembered. “Did Nat spend the night with you? Sorry about that. I told her to get her own room.”

“Are you actually kidding me? Because Patrick, I am in no mood for your jokes right now. This is serious business.”

“Why isn’t she here to be mad at me in person, anyway? She sends her pregnant friend to do her dirty work? Weak.”

“You don’t even know, do you?” Damien shoved a hand through his hair. “Jesus. How drunk were you last night?”

Suddenly, he remembered. He’d told her to get out.

“Sorry you got dragged into our fight. She and I will work it out. I should call her this morning at least since I told her to go.”

Mary shook her head. “I’m leaving. Don’t tell him anything, Damien. He doesn’t deserve to know.”

Damien groaned and moved to his wife, catching her at the door. “Curly, I nearly lost you. He pushed me to make it right. He made a mistake. But everyone makes mistakes. Go back to our room and put your feet up. I’ll be back in a few. You stay here tonight. No use you going to the venue.”

“I’m going. I have a menu planned. I made a commitment to do that for you guys at every show. There are three more weeks left, and I’ll continue to do that until the tour is over.” She shot Paddy a glare over her shoulder and left the room.

“I repeat. What the hell is going on? Is Natalie all right?”

“If you mean is she back in Hood River? Yes.”

“She’s not supposed... Oh. I told her to go home. She really f**king did it? And she came to your room to tell you all this?”

“Jesus, Paddy. How drunk were you?”

“I wasn’t drunk when I had the fight with Natalie. I didn’t start drinking until she left, and I’d hung up on Ezra. Then...I called her dad. I drank some more. I watched The Matrix and I passed out.”

“Ezra called us about forty-five minutes ago.”

“God, I went off on him. I was so pissed. But out of line.” Paddy knew he had some apologies to make after losing his temper the night before. But still, the brother code. “I can’t believe he called you to tattle, though.”

“First, she didn’t come to our room last night. She went to the airport. She left a thank-you card for Mary for handling all her arrival details. The front desk notes that was at nearly three in the morning. Ezra called Mary to let her know Tuesday called him at the ranch. To let him know Natalie just got back to Hood River. He figured you might want to know she was safe, but Tuesday says she’s a wreck. What did you say to her, Paddy? Did you hit her?”

That question made him physically recoil. “I would never hit her. Fuck you for even asking me that question, Damien. I love her. Why aren’t you asking what she did to me?”

“Really? Paddy, are you serious with that?”

“I’ve never in my life worked as hard to gain someone’s trust as I did with her. I was patient. I put her first. Always. And she comes to me and shows me this bullshit interview her dad sold to the tabs. She knew for a whole day before she told me. She talked to Ezra about it first. And then when I was yelling at Ez, she took his side.”

“So it’s over, then? I’m confused because I saw your reaction to her last night. I saw you f**king light up when she came in. I saw the way you touched her, the way you spoke to her. Your entire being changes when you talk about her, when you’re with her. I’ve watched you f**k through dozens of women you didn’t even remember the next day. Natalie is different.”

“I’m not denying she’s different, and who’s saying it’s over? We had a fight. I told her we’d deal with it when I got off tour. It’s only three weeks at this point. I was harsher than I should have been, but I said we weren’t breaking up. I figured she’d sleep it off, and we’d probably make up today. I didn’t actually expect her to go. When I get back home, we’ll work it through. I need some time. I’m going to take a shower. We’ll head over to the venue in a bit.”

“I just hope it’s not too late.”

Why was everyone making such a big deal out of a dumb fight? Yes, he’d been a dick, but wasn’t he allowed a button or two? “What the hell, D? Too late? Why are you talking like this is something more than it is? It was an argument. She and I have argued before. You and Mary fight. That doesn’t mean it’s over. People fight. Hell, Mom and Dad fight like whoa sometimes.”